Walk in Your Claws
by badboylover24
Summary: I just couldn't resist writing this. Takes place after Season 3. Twilight accidentally switches Discord and Spike's minds, making the Master of Chaos the baby dragon and the baby dragon the Master of Chaos! Now the two of them has to learn what it's like to be the other. All characters belong to the proper owners. Parody of those Freaky Friday movies...kinda.
1. Chapter 1

**Walk in Your Claws**

**Summary: **Somewhat of a parody of those _Freaky Friday _movies. When trying to silence an argument between Discord and Spike, Twilight accidentally switches their bodies! So now Spike is the Draconequus while Discord's the baby dragon! Until they can switch back, can Spike hope to control his new chaotic powers? And can Discord hope to avoid a certain dragon gang coming after his tail? All characters belong to their proper owners.

**Ch.1: One Slight Slip-Up**

"Now look what you made me do!"

"Hey, I was just kidding around. _You're _the one who needs to switch to decaf." Twilight sighed as she rubbed her forehead. It's been a week since her ascension into an Alicorn Princess, and she's studying a few books to learn what spells to watch out for. After all, Alicorn magic is far more powerful than Unicorn magic, and it can be very dangerous if not handled carefully.

Too bad Spike and Discord's arguing after the Draconequus startled the dragon isn't helping. Especially when the young assistant was carrying some books he just alphabetized at the time.

"Discord, I just got them in the right order!" Spike snapped as he picked up the books scattered all over the floor. "And I don't even _drink _coffee!"

"Well, it's not _my _fault you can't lighten up," Discord replied, agitated by the dragon's attitude.

"Guys…"Twilight began, wanting them to stop and calm down.

"Hey, Twilight's a _Princess _now, so I have to take my job as her assistant more seriously…unlike a certain 'Master of Chaos' I know!"

"Hey, I'll have you know that Draconequus magic is just as powerful _and _dangerous as Alicorn, magic, so I take mine _just _as serious as Twilight _or _Celestia!"

"Guys…" Twilight's really starting to get annoyed.

"Puh-lease! You can't even tell a reference guide from a _novel_!"

"Oh, you think _you're _so perfect? Let me see you summon a cotton-candy cloud raining chocolate milk with only a snap of your fingers on your first try!" Now Twilight's _really _annoyed.

"Both of you _STOP IT!_" She then fired a spell at them. As she did, Spike and Discord yelled at each other simultaneously.

"YOU'LL _NEVER _KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE _ME_!" Then the light struck them with a flash of light, throwing the two of them into the bookshelves with a loud CRASH! Twilight opened her eyes with shock, turning off the flash to see Spike and Discord sprawled on the floor and covered with books that fell on them when they crashed into the shelves..

"Oh, my gosh!" she cried, rushing up to Spike. "Guys, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to…oh, are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Spike groaned, "but take your spell level down a few notches next time, will ya, Twi?" Twilight blinked with surprise and confusion. Spike sounds and acts like…Discord?

"Spike," she then asked, "why are you sounding like Discord?"

"What are ya talking about?" Discord asked, getting up. "I didn't say anything." Only Discord sounds and acts like…Spike?" Before Twilight could ask what's going on, the two males turned to each other.

"What am I doing over there?" they asked simultaneously. That's when Twilight figured it out.

"Uh, guys," she said with a gulp before bringing each of them a mirror. "I…think I might've switched your bodies."

"Huh?" they replied before taking the mirrors and looking into them.

_And cue the screams_, Twilight thought, covering her ears with her hooves. _In three…two…one…_

"AAAUUUGGGHHH!"


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, I forgot to mention something. The last part of this chapter is a parody of that scene from Dragon Quest when Spike was getting worked about being cute rather than being an "actual dragon". Hope it helps clear things up.

**Ch.2: What to Do**

"Itsgottabehere! Itsgottabehere! Itsgottabehere!" Twilight whimpered, looking through book after book after book frantically. Behind her, the other Ponies are comforting the body-switched Discord and Spike.

"Oh, my poor wittle Spikey-Wikey," Rarity cooed, hugging the baby dragon. "Are you _sure _you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Rarity," Discord answered, "except you're hugging the _wrong _one." The Unicorn opened her eyes and, seeing her mistake, let the switched-up Draconequus go.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Discord," she said. "I forgot that Spikey-Wikey is now in _your _body."

"Pleeease don't remind me," Spike whined as Rainbow Dash started to snicker and snort to unsuccessfully keep in her laughter. The two mixed-up males then shot a scolding glare at her.

"It's not…funny," Discord growled.

"S-Sorry," Rainbow giggled. "I…I can't…help it…" She then took a deep breath to calm down. "Okay, I'm alright now."

"So, guys," Pinkie asked, being her bubbly, naïve self, "how does it feel to be all jumbled up?" And that's when the blue Pegasus lost it.

"PFFHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAAA-HAHA!" Spike and Discord then face-palmed with groans as she fell to the floor in laughter.

"Dashie…" Fluttershy said, looking down at her with shame.

"S-Sorry, Fluttershy," she giggled in between hiccups, "but Pinkie's question just cracked me up." Discord then turned to Twilight fretfully.

"Twilight, _pleeease _tell me you've found that spell," he begged/whined. "This is embarrassing!"

"I'm still looking, Discord," she answered with worry. "I just can't figure out what I did wrong."

"Can't figure o—YOU GOT US IN THE WRONG BODIES! THAT'S WHAT YOU DID WRONG!" He would've charged at the Alicorn had Applejack not hold him back by his tail.

"Now simmer down thar, par'ner," she said to him. "I'm purty sure Twilight'll figure out this ol' switcheroo." Twilight's eyes suddenly lit up at those words.

"Switch…I think I might have an idea." She then turned to Discord as he started to calm down. "Discord, do you and Spike remember what you said to each other when I blasted you?"

"I remember telling him he'll never know what it's like to be me," he answered with some thought.

"Yea, I said that to him too," Spike replied. With a hopeful smile, Twilight brought out the book she was reading before this whole mess started.

"I have a feeling this rings a bell," she said, opening to a page she was looking at before. "Yes! Just as I thought; it's the Mind-Switch Spell."

"Mind-Switch?" Discord and Spike asked with confusion.

"It's a spell that switches the minds of two individuals," she explained, "and it becomes more likely to succeed when both individuals express about one being like the other. It's sometimes called the Freaky Friday Spell or the Empathy Spell today."

"Who _cares _what it's called today?" Discord cried desperately. "Can it be reversed or _not_?!"

"As a matter of fact, it can," she answered. "According to the book, the Mind-Switch can be reversed with the magic of the Opened Eye, a magical orb that Starswirl the Bearded created and gave to Princess Celestia for safekeeping."

"His wisdom strikes again," Spike replied as the violet Pony put the book away.

"Spike, letter to the Princess," she requested. "Tell her that you and Discord have become the victims of the Mind-Switch, and that we need the Opened Eye _fast_!"

"On it!" Spike replied, taking a quill and parchment. He then frowned down at his mismatched hands. "Ugh, I _gotta _get used to having a lion paw and an eagle talon for hands."

"You think _you _got problems?" Discord snapped. "_I _have to get a better _look _at myself! Seriously, why didn't anypony tell me my tail was getting_ bigger_?"

"Uh, we thought it's always been like that," Rainbow answered with confusion.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Discord, you were trapped in stone fer a thousand years," Applejack stated. The Draconequus-turned-dragon face-palmed in reply.

"D'oh!"

"Okay," Spike said, "letter's ready." He then rolled up the scroll and blew on it. He then blinked at it with confusion before it dawned on him.

"Darn it!" he cried with a face-palm. "I forgot I don't breathe fire right now!" Discord groaned with a roll of his now green eyes.

"Give it," he grumbled, holding his dragon hand up to Spike, who then handed him the scroll. He then blew at it, and a green flame turned it into a glittering wisp of smoke that flew out the window. As it did, however, Discord started coughing like he just came down with the flu.

"Ow! Augh, my throat! It burns! Why didn't you warn me that it burns when you breath fire?!"

"I didn't know you were gonna breathe _that _hard," Spike protested. "You have to blow it more gently; _then _it'll hurt less."

"Well, your heads-up came too late, kid!" Discord croaked with a snap of his fingers. When nothing happened, he looked at his fingers before doing a face-palm. "D'oh! I forgot! _You _have my powers now!" He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I'll explain. To activate my powers, you have to think up what you want to happen and snap your fingers while thinking it. Simple as that."

"Uh…what do you _want _me to think up?" Spike asked.

"Water? Soda? I don't care! Just something to help with my throat!"

"Alright, alright. Jeez…" spike then closed his eyes and concentrated for a few moments before snapping his fingers…and a floating mass of pink lemonade appeared above Discord's head and fell on him with a splash! Pinkie and Rainbow burst into hysterical laughter at the now wet and sticky dragon.

"I meant in a _cup_!" he yelled. "Aw, man!"

"Sorry!" Spike protested. "I didn't know I had to be _specific_!" Discord just growled with frustration as he then shook the drink off his arms.

"Ugh, things can't _possibly _get any—" He was suddenly cut off by his own belch, which emitted a green flame that dissipated into a scroll from Princess Celestia.

"Oh, I hope it's good news," Twilight whimpered, taking the scroll with her magic.

"Phew! Discord cried, holding his nose with disgust. "Right through my nose! Ugh, nasty!"

"You think _that's _bad?" Spike replied. "Just wait until you start burping out a whole _ton _of them and end up with nausea."

"No _way _I'm gonna stay like this!" Discord yelled. "I got amends to make!"

"That," Rainbow added, "and yo don't wanna go through the nausea thing, right?"

"Well," Twilight said after reading the letter, "I got good news and bad news."

"Don't say Celestia doesn't have it," Discord prayed. "Don't say Celestia doesn't have it…"

"The good news is Princess Celestia has the Opened Eye and will bring it over here." They all breathed a sigh of relief. "The bad news is she couldn't until tomorrow."

"WHHAAAT?!" Discord and Spike screamed.

"She's busy right now," the Unicorn-turned-Alicorn explained. Discord did a frustrated face-palm with a growl in reply.

"Don't get so worked up, Discord," Pinkie Pie said with optimism. "It'll be okay."

"Pinkie's right," Fluttershy stated with comfort. "Maybe you can try to make the best of it." Discord turned to her in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all," she answered. "Princess Celestia probably wants to see you later while you're Spike."

"Why would she want to do that?"

"Because you have something of Spike's she'll simply adore," Rarity answered, pointing out his secret crush on the Sun Alicorn, which he shared with Spike and the girls. The chaotic-entity-turned-baby-dragon's green eyes lit up with delight.

"What's that?" Rarity then pressed her front hooves against his cheeks and started fondling with them.

"His cute wittle chubby cheeks," she cooed with a giggle.

"Cute?!" Discord cried, pulling away from her with a fuchsia blush on his face. "Celestia's not gonna go for something _cute…_is she?" Spike chuckled as he then held his apron up against Discord's cheek.

"Hey, Rarity," he said. "_Now_ I see why you love my blush; it matches the heart and frills on my apron." Discord then looked around to see the Ponies looking at him with smiles at his blush and growls with embarrassment before storming off.

"Aw, you're right, Rare," Spike said to his crush. "I _do _look adorable when I waddle off in anger."

"Waddle?!" Discord cried with a beet red face before throwing a pillow at Spike's face. "AUUGGH!" Spike took the pillow off his face with surprise.

"What?" he called after the Draconequus-turned-dragon as he stormed out the library door. "What did I say?" He then ran out after Discord. "Wait up!"

"I just hope they can handle their new abilities until tomorrow," Twilight said with worry as she and the girls watch after them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch.3: A Rough Day**

Out in the street, Spike had caught up with Discord, who's still ticked off with embarrassment. The dragon-turned-Draconequus was afraid at first that he wouldn't catch up to him, but because he now has his strong and long ox/dragon legs, Spike's now a fast runner and caught up with Discord easily.

"Wow," he said to him. "If I knew you can run faster with long legs, I should've asked Twilight to use a spell for that on me a long time ago."

"Whatever," Discord replied with a huff.

"Okay, seriously," Spike asked, annoyed with his attitude. "_What _is your problem?"

"You humiliated me in front of the girls!" he yelled at him with a red face. "_That's_ my problem!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Spike replied, holding up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry, okay? I just thought the princess would like you _more _if she sees you blushing like that."

"Just shut it, alright?" he replied, his face turning redder. "I'm embarrassed enough as it is. And what am I gonna do about those amends I mentioned earlier?" Spike then thought about it.

"Well, I can do that for ya."

…

"Is that your idea of a joke?" Discord asked flatly.

"No, really," Spike stated. "Think about it, Discord. If I can do your to-do list and make you look good in front of everypony else, you can get a better chance at winning Princess Celestia's heart."

"You do know, of course, that we've told Celestia about our little switcheroo."

"Well, yeah," Spike replied with a sheepish smirk, "but she might fall for ya if she finds out that you've been helping me make your amends to make you look good while showing me how it's done." Discord, although he's never always one for making sense, thinks that sounds a bit too confusing for his taste. Then again, he probably has no other choice if he wants to go through the day as a baby dragon…and win Celestia over with his making amends.

"Alright," he sighed, "but I'm going with every step of the way so you'd know what to do, got it? The last thing I want is getting into trouble for drenching somepony else with pink lemonade."

"That was an _accident_," Spike protested before following Discord down the street. "Besides, I thought you like that as much as chocolate milk." Discord just groaned in reply.

"I just _know _I'm gonna be in for a rough day..." Meanwhile, three others were watching them from on top of one of the nearby roofs…not _Ponies_, but _teenage dragons_.

"There he is," said the red leader Garble to his two comrades, the albino dragon Daimundo and the green-and-gray one Smokes. "I've a feeling we'd find him…especially when he told us that he lives here."

"So when do we strike?" Daimundo asked.

"We'll wait until later when there isn't a Pony with them in sight. I've a feeling we can take on that weirdo with him."

"Ya know, with those horns, beard, and long body," Spokes stated with an arched eyebrow, "he kinda reminds me of Shumu."

"Will ya just focus on the target?" Garble hissed before giving himself a face-palm. "Ugh!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch.4: From Bad to Worse**

Things didn't go exactly as Discord and Spike had hoped. For Spike, it was a little frustrating; for Discord, it was extremely embarrassing.

First off, Spike saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon making fun of the CMCs because of their blank flanks and got annoyed. Discord would've have stopped him, but Spike snapped his talons to dump pink lemonade on the two bullies. Instead, he changed Silver Spoon's Cutie Mark into a pile of dirty dishes and Diamond Tiara's into a smiley face…Well, sort of; the smiley face was crying its head off like a crybaby. The CMCs and other younger Ponies were laughing their heads off at the girls' new Cutie Marks, but they weren't amused. In fact, they were screaming to their daddies and running off like crybabies from their embarrassment. That's certain to get Discord to the top of their hate list.

Second, they try to help Zecora mix up the herbs and remedies for this special medicine. However, Spike made the fire too hot that the contents shot up out of the pot like a geyser busted a hole in her ceiling. Zecora was shocked by this and demanded why he wasn't more careful, so they reluctantly told her the truth. Her response? "Well, you will need plenty of practice, Spike. That is very true. But when Her Majesty sees you, Discord ***snicker*, **she'll want to cuddle with you." Discord's blush never left his face until Spike has finally fixed the ceiling successfully.

Third, they try to help the Cakes with their desserts while Pinkie Pie takes the twins out. Discord found that, despite being temporarily stripped of his powers, he had a lot of fun learning how to bake sweets by claw. And Spike? Well, the good news is he's getting better with his chaotic abilities…the bad news is he ended up covered with flour, sprinkles, and edible gold glitter. Discord was practically laughing his head off at the sight for a full minute before remembering that it's _his _body dirtied up like that.

Throughout the rest of the day, Spike does his best to get the hang of his powers via Discord's other amends. Despite the mishaps that humiliated Discord a great deal, he's getting better at it. And even Discord halfheartedly admits that he's proud of Spike for that.

As the sun was setting, the two of them flopped onto the grass of a nearby hill, completely exhausted.

"Whoo!" Spike sighed with exhaustion. "What a day! I thought we'd _never _get through it."

"I'll say," Discord concurred with a groan. "I'm just glad I get to do so little. Guess you had it easier than I do back in your body. Well, besides the fire-breathing part…and the belching…"

"I just had no _idea _that your magic requires a lot of concentrating and practice," Spike said with his eyes close. "I mean, if I _did _know, I would've gotten better at teaching Diamond Tiara a lesson for being such a brat, like taking away her Cutie Mark and never give it back until the CMCs got theirs. Wouldn't _that _be hilarious, Discord?"

…

"Discord?" Spike opened his eyes and turned to the side to find the Draconequus-turned-dragon no longer there.

"SPIKE! HEEELP!" He turned to the sky with a start, and saw that Discord's getting carried away by Garble, followed by Smokes and Daimundo.

"DISCORD!" Spike quickly got up and started to run after the four dragons as Discord tried to get out of Garble's strong grip.

"Put me down, you overgrown punk!" he yelled at the red dragon, who only gave him a cold smirk.

"Sorry, Spike," he said. "_Not _gonna happen." Discord blinked with surprise. They're capturing him because they think _he's _Spike?! Well, now that his and Spike's bodies are switched, it's easy to see their mistake.

"Wait, you're barking up the wrong tree!" he protested, still struggling. "I'm _not_ Spike; I just got my body switched with him!"

"Yeah, if I had a diamond for every time I hear _that_ one," Daimundo replied, a sign that they don't believe him.

"C'mon, I'm being serious here!" He then looked down to see that Spike is falling farther and farther behind.

_Oh, what a rotten time to forget to show Spike how to use his _wings_! _Spike meanwhile saw that Discord is falling further and further away from him.

_Oh, what a rotten time for Discord to not show me how to use _these _things!_ he thought, turning to his wings. How is he supposed to catch up to those dragons if he can't eve fly yet?

Just then, he got an idea. Before this whole Mind-Switch mess started, he gave Twilight one of his scales so that she can use it as part of her seeking spell that will tell her where he is if anything happens to him in some unknown location. And since Discord has switched bodies with him, Twilight can use the spell to find him and save him from Garble and his gang. Quickly, Spike ran back to the Ponyville to get back to the library.

"Hang in there, Discord…just a while longer…"


	5. Chapter 5

Just to let you know, I'm using the Gryphon (Lionwing) from Quest for Camelot in my fanfic, but it has no relation with my True to Your Heart Series. If you're wondering why I'm using him in the fanfic, I had this idea in my head for him. But you're gonna have to wait until later to find out what. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter.

******Ch.5: Dragon Intervention**

"Hey, claws off, buster!" Discord yelled as the fat brown dragon Bulldoze and the violet dragon with the hairdo Rad chained him to a pillar. Garble and his boys have brought Discord to the ruins of the Princesses' old castle in the Everfree Forest, and Luna's moon is full enough to bring some light into the area. Discord also saw that the dragons have a new companion who's standing next to the bluish-purple dragon Haze, a black-feathered, golden-furred gryphon named Lionwing who claims to be from another kingdom called Camelot (_not _to be confused with Canterlot).

Once his arms were chained and hung up above his head, Discord turned to Garble angrily.

"What's the big idea kidnapping me for?" he demanded. "You better have a good excuse, pal!" Garble just gave him a smirk that made his prisoner's blood run colder than it is right now.

"I do, Spike," he said to him, crossing his arms across his chest. "What you are currently in right now is a dragon intervention." Discord arched his eyebrow at him flatly.

"A dragon what-now?"

"We want you back in the gang," Bulldoze explained. That's when Discord recalled Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow telling him one time about Spike's adventure at the volcanic mountain range to where the Dragon Migration migrated. These must be the teenage dragons they told him about!

"Guys, I'm telling ya," he protested, struggling to get out of his chains. "I'm _not _Spike!"

"Pffft!" Daimundo scoffed. "Not _that_ one again! That's startin' to get old, kid."

"Yeah, even _I_ can't believe I'm pulling off something monotonously," Discord mumbled under his breath.

"C'mon, Spike," Garble purred, prowling around the pillar on all fours like a tiger around his prey. "Doesn't a part of you miss _being _a dragon rather than a namby-pamby Pony like your friends?"

"I told _before_, and I'm telling you _again_," Discord answered with an annoyed groan. "I'm…not…Spike! And even if I was him, he sure as hey doesn't _miss _being a dragon! So there's no use even _beating _the stuffing out of me cuz I'm _not _changing my mind!" He then turned his head away and held his nose up high snobbishly, making Garble glare at him with annoyance at his attitude.

"Lionwing?" The gryphon then walked up to him and held up his wing rather calmly. Discord then cracked his eye open to see the red dragon gently pluck a feather from it.

"Uh…what are you doing?" Garble smirked at him as he held up the feather slyly.

"I just don't feel like _beating _you up," he answered, "so we'll try another route of torture to make you submit." Discord immediately got what he's planning and started to sweat.

"No, don't you dare!" But Garble just went up to him anyway and started to tickle the poor little dragon on the stomach with the feather.

"PFFAAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP IT! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Discord started to laugh his head off as the feather tickled his most ticklish spot…well, _Spike's _most ticklish spot anyway.

The gang leader kept at it for half an hour, counting the short breaks in between to ask his prisoner if he's changed his mind. Discord reluctantly refused, still telling them that he's not Spike although they don't believe him, getting him tickled again. When Garble finally stopped, Discord was weakened from a huge loss of breath, and tears were staining his face. That torture was just murder compared to a beating.

"Man, talk about stubborn," Rad said, annoyed that "Spike" hasn't given in. "He's able to withstand it for _that _long."

"Uh, guys?" Lionwing finally asked. "Don't you think maybe he's telling the truth? That he's not Spike?" The dragons turned to him with confusion.

"You're kidding, right?" Haze asked flatly.

"Well, think about it," the gryphon asked. "Why would his voice make him sound older than his physical age?"

"Well," Garble answered, "it could be either puberty or a sore throat."

" I'm definitely going for the sore throat," Smokes said quickly, wrinkling his nose at the puberty part.

"Please…" Discord croaked with a slight sob. "Just…let me go…"

"Sorry, _Spike_," Garble replied, unchaining him from the pillar. "_Not _gonna happen." He then took the weakened dragon into his arm and carried him to a nearby room with a decaying bed (or what's left of it) and a window too high for Discord to reach but large enough for him to get a good view of the moon. The red dragon then threw him onto the bed, and he scurried up against the headboard in fear, looking up at him with a shudder.

"We'll give you tonight to think it over," Garble said, "but when morning comes…" He then held up the feather before his tone became more threatening. "No more Mister Nice Dragon…" Discord whimpered in reply, causing Garble to chuckle in reply. He then walked up to the doorway before turning to Lionwing.

"You stand guard and don't let him escape or anyone else help him escape." The gryphon nodded in reply, and the older dragon closed the door before Discord heard him lock it.

Seeing that he's now trapped, Discord took the old pillow from the bed and hugged it before crying into it. He has never felt this scared before. But after the torture he's gone through, he's completely terrified. Usually, he finds tickling to be fun; but after going through that for that long, he's starting to have second thoughts about it.

But that's the least of his problems now. He found out that Spike would've had it pretty rough if the two of them didn't get switched. And he claimed he had it rougher than he did.

Discord now feels terrible for Spike: being the only dragon in Ponyville; fire-breathing and belching not as pleasant as he thought; reorganizing what he just got done organizing…Discord's even _hating _himself right now for pulling that prank on the little guy. If only he waited until he was no longer holding all of those books; none of this would've happened. He now feels complete empathy for Spike being the only of his kind actually _living _in Ponyville. Poor little guy probably doesn't even have a male role model to look up to. The Draconequus would've made a good choice for the little dragon, but he blew it with that stupid joke.

_Oh, Spike…_


	6. Chapter 6

This is a songfic chapter that I felt like writing in, a duet with Spike and Discord. It's a rewritten/parody version of one of the songs from _My Little Pony Live: The World's Biggest Tea Party_. For more details on it, just watch it on Youtube (I think that's still there, but I've been watching it on Bing). Anyway, please let me know what you think about the duet after you've read it.

**Ch.6: Just How You Feel**

As Spike and the girls head for the ruins to save Discord from Garble and his gang, Spike looks up at the moon (not knowing that Discord is doing the same), worried for the one he never realized until a while ago had it just as rough as he does.

_Now I know how Discord feels…I just hope he's okay._

**Spike: **_You're scared_

**Discord: **_You're blue_

**Spike: **_I've been_

**Discord: **_There too_

**Spike: **_And so_

**Discord: **_I know_

**Both: **_Just how you feel_

Both switched males felt pain sting their hearts. Each thinks he had it rough and thought about himself rather than the other. How could they have been so inconsiderate to each other?

**Discord: **_I hurt_

**Spike: **_Inside_

**Discord: **_I just want_

**Spike: **_To hide_

**Discord: **_I know_

**Spike: **_I know_

**Both: **_Just how you feel_

Discord felt awful for pulling that cruel joke on Spike, and Spike feels guilty about being mean to someone just wanting to have some fun with him. It makes each want to crawl under a rock and just die…and yet each wants to let the other know that he cares about him ever since Discord's reformation.

**Discord: **_I'm just so afraid (_**Spike: **_So afraid)_

**Spike: **_To admit the mistake that I made (_**Discord: **_That I made)_

**Discord: **_Not knowing how cruel I was to you (_**Spike: **_Was to you)_

**Spike: **_But please know I _do_ care about you (_**Discord: **_About you)_

Once they get back into their proper bodies again, the two of them promise to talk/listen about each other's problems and give each other as much empathy as possible for the comfort they truly deserve from each other.

**Discord: **_So now_

**Spike: **_I'll be here_

**Discord: **_To lend _

_An ear_

**Spike: **_And show_

_That I know_

**Both: **_Just how you feel_

Each of them had no idea that the other would be like him because he thought he was more different than him. Spike's a little dragon; Discord's an entity of chaos. But now they see that they both are unique creatures living in Ponyville who have problems that can relate with each other.

**Both: **_Hard to believe_

_That someone so_

_Different from me_

_Has gone through just_

_What I feel_

_Now I know his _

**Spike: **_Feelings are real (_**Discord: **_Feelings are real)_

Discord now knows that the best way to lift both his spirits and Spike's is to comfort him with his empathy.

**Discord: **_It'll help_

_You a lot_

_To know_

_You got_

_A friend_

_Who knows_

_Just how you feel_

Spike also feels the same way, knowing that it will bring a friendly smile to both of their faces.

**Spike: **_That's right_

_You will not_

_Be alone_

_If you got_

_A friend_

_Who knows_

_Just how you feel_

It'll be wonderful to let one know just how the other feels if he were in his claws.

**Both: **_A friend_

_Who knows_

_Just how you feel_

"There! Garble and his gang have Discord trapped inside the castle ruins!" Spike quickly snapped out of it when Twilight spoke up and pointed at said ruins.

"Knowing those dragons," the violet Alicorn then said, "they'll probably be on guard to make sure that Discord doesn't escape."

"Oh, I'm so worried about Discord," Fluttershy whimpered. "Who knows what they're doing to him. What if they hurt him? Or what they—" Spike quickly stops her by taking her hooves into his claws.

"Fluttershy, don't worry," he said to her with confidence. "I'm sure Discord will be okay. But if he's not, I'll take it out on Garble."

"Oh…okay," she replied, a little convinced, "but although he sounds like a big bully…can you please not be _too _harsh on him?"


	7. Chapter 7

******Ch.7: Prison-Break**

Moving through the corridors of the ruins and guided by the seeking spell that Twilight is using, Spike and the girls made their way closer to where Garble and the others are keeping Discord. In order to reach the hallway in which Discord's room/prison is located, they must first get past the teenage dragons sleeping on their piles of gold on the floor, snoring like a bunch of chainsaws. Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight used their wings to carry Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity over them with ease. But Spike, since he _still _doesn't know how to fly yet with his wings, had to tiptoe through them very quietly and very carefully, especially when he has a cloven ox hoof for a foot that would make a noise against a stone floor. He and the girls tensed and froze when he accidently bumped his lizard foot against some golden bits near Bulldoze's head, but all the brown dragon did was snort and roll over on his back, not waking up once. But they didn't relax yet until Spike had reached the girls at the other side of the room.

They then went down the long hall to reach their destination, quietly so as to not wake the dragons. Once they got to the other end, they saw Lionwing lying in front of a door to stand guard.

"That's gotta be where they locked up Discord," Twilight whispered, "but we gotta get past that gryphon somehow."

"Why don't ya just _blast _him or something?" asked Rainbow with annoyance.

"We can't risk wakin' up them dragons," Applejack answered. "We need diff'rent tact." Spike then wondered what Discord would do in a situation such as this…than an ideal bulb went off over his head…literally.

"What if we lure him away from the door?"

"How do we do _that_?" asked Fluttershy.

"Easy. We lure him away with an attractive lady using her feminine charms on him."

"Great idea, Spike," Pinkie replied with a smile before she frowned with confusion. "But…where are we gonna get a lady friend for him?" Spike then placed his talon onto his chin in thought as he turned his eyes to Rainbow slyly.

"Well, she'll have to be a great flyer."

"I should say so," Rainbow replied, not noticing the look in his eyes.

"She'll have to be fast as well," Rarity added, understanding what Spike is thinking.

"Yeah," Rainbow concurred, "to give him the slip."

"And it wouldn't hurt if she also has a colorful mane and tail to make her more attractive in his eyes," Spike finished with a grin.

"So where are we gonna find a great flyer who's fast and with a colorful ma-" Rainbow stopped with wide eyes when it dawned on her. "Wait a second…are you talking about _me_?" Spike and the girls nodded with smiles…well, Fluttershy nodded with a reluctant frown.

"No way," Rainbow protested, backing away slowly. "I am _not _gonna flirt with that guy to get him away from the door!"

"Sorry, Rainbow," Twilight pointed out, "but you _are _the best flyer around here." The Pegasus whimpered out a whine; she _hates _it when her friend makes a point.

"Fine…" she growled, "but if he so much as _kisses _me on the lips, I'm taking it out on Spike. Got it?"

They all then set to work on their plan. While Applejack and Pinkie Pie kept an eye on the dragons in case they should wake up, Rarity picked out an old red piece of tapestry (still in good condition) and used her spell to create a gorgeous gown on Rainbow with a slit on the left hind leg that's high enough to reveal the bolt of her Cutie Mark (the spell she used to create her dress when Trixie first came to Ponyville). Spike then used his chaos magic to make her mane and tail smoother and fuller, give her a little eye shadow, and sprit her neck with a small amount of rose-scented perfume. When they were done, Spike just had to give Rainbow a tiger growl.

"Lookin' good there, Rainbow."

"Shut…up," Rainbow replied flatly.

"Remember, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, "you're doing this to help Discord. Oh, I'm so worried about him. He must be scared and crying right now." Rainbow frowned at the fretting expression on Fluttershy's face. Ever since Discord's reformation, the two of them became like brother and sister. So now the rainbow Pegasus hates seeing her fellow Pegasus friend getting upset about something bad happening to Discord.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," she said quickly. "I'm sure he's okay. I'll try to distract his guard for as long as I can." With a deep breath, she then went forth, thinking how Rarity would approach a fine gentleman in this sort of situation.

Lionwing's ear-like feathers perked up at the sound of a soft whistle calling out to him. He then turned and gawked with surprise. Walking towards him is a beautiful blue Pegasus Pony in a red gown and with a rainbow-colored mane and tail, checking him out with rose red eyes.

"Wow…" he said before giving her a wolf whistle. "Somepony pinch me…" Rainbow mentally gulped in reply at the comment. Maybe Spike and Rarity have made _too _attractive.

_Just focus on the plan, Rainbow…Focus…play it cool…_

"Well, hel-looo, handsome," she purred, batting her eyelashes at him. "What's a cutie like _you _doing in a place like this?" Okay, maybe that wasn't alluring enough?

Lionwing shot up to his feet with big red hearts replacing his eyes. Okay…maybe it _was_.

"Oh, baby…" he swooned, approaching her with pink hearts dancing around his head. Now Rainbow's worried.

"Uh, easy, big boy," she replied, backing up slowly…only to trip over a root sticking up out of the floor. She fell back and landed on her back, but she quickly cleared her head and looked up to find Lionwing now closer to her.

"I'm gonna kiss that pretty face!" He then lunged at her, but she quickly flew out of the way.

"Hey, I don't kiss on a first date, okay?!" But she didn't have time to react when he flew up to her and caught her in his arms.

"Fortunately for _you_," he purred, nuzzling her with his beak, "_I _do." He then flew over to a high cloud not too far off for some alone time with her.

"No. No! Guys, help! Guys!" But the others just watched with shock.

"Okaaay…" Spike said sheepishly. "Didn't go as I planned…" He then turned to Twilight in a panic. "Rainbow's gonna clobber me when she gets out of this, isn't she?"

"Uh, maybe," she answered nervously, "but we'll have to go help her later. Right now, we can get to Discord and free him." They quickly rushed towards the door, and Twilight used her magic to unlock the door and open it. Fluttershy rushed in quickly and found Discord sitting feebly on the bed, hugging and crying into his pillow.

"Discord?" she asked fretfully. He shot his little dragon face up and turned to his sister/friend to show the tear streaks on his cheeks.

"Fluttershy!" He jumped off of the bed and ran up to her to hug her.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked as Fluttershy hugs him.

"No, I'm _not _okay!" Discord sobbed. "The red one was merciless! He was tickling me to make me 'rejoin the gang'!"

"They wanted me back into the gang?" Spike asked with surprise and confusion. "I thought they're still ticked off about the whole phoenix egg thing."

"He wouldn't stop!" Discord yelled at them in a state of panic. "How can I look at tickling the same way again?!" Rarity quickly went up to his side as Spike snapped his fingers to have a paper bag appear before his freaked out friend.

"Calm down, Discord," she said quickly as he breathed in and out of it. "It's alright; we're getting you out of here." Just then, they all heard a roar from outside and rushed outside just in time to see Applejack and Pinkie Pie run into the hall.

"What happened?" Twilight asked, although she won't like the answer.

"Uh, well…" Applejack started nervously.

"THEY GOT DIRT ON MY TAIL!?" they all heard Daimundo roar. "I JUST HAD IT MY SCALES CLEAN!"

"I accidentally stepped on the white dragon's tail," Applejack then said quickly.

"I guess I should've mentioned that Daimundo's very sensitive about his looks," Spike whimpered with a gulp. "RUN FOR IT!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch.8: Close Call**

The seven of them burst through the doors of the castle ruins, Discord riding on Spike's back, before Garble's gang flew off after them. As Discord held onto Spike's neck for dear life, he noticed something amiss.

"Hey," he cried to the girls, "where's Rainbow?!"

"Let's just say our distraction plan backfired on her!" Twilight answered.

Up on a cloud, Lionwing held a struggling Rainbow in his arms as he nuzzled her cheek with his beak affectionately.

"Okay, seriously!" she growled. "I'm not that kinda—MPH!" She cried out with surprise when he pressed his lips into her for a kiss. Then the two of them fell onto the cloud with a laugh, shooting puffs out to make it form into the number nine (**Hah! Beat ya to it!**).

Applejack looked behind her to see the dragons ganging up on them with roars.

"Twilight," she cried, "now might be a good time to us that thar teleportin' spell o' yers!"

"I'm trying," she cried with her horn glowing, "but I can't concentrate; I'm too freaked out!" Discord looked over his shoulder with fear, seeing Garble getting even closer. He then turned to Spike, knowing he has to get it off his chest before it's too late to do so.

"Spike, if we don't make it out of here," he said with panic, "I just wanna let you know I'm sorry about that stupid prank that got us into this mess in the first place! I should've waited until _after _you've put those books away to pull it off!"

"Well, I'm sorry, too," Spike replied, watching the dragons getting closer. "I shouldn't have embarrassed you with the thing with the pink lemonade and the apron and the waddling—"

"Guys, can't exchange apologies later?" Twilight cried. "You're not making this easier for me to get us out of this sticky situation!" Spike's mismatching eyes lit up with realization.

"That's it!" He then skid to a halt and turned to face the dragons.

"Spike, what are you—" Discord was cut off when he watched Spike snap his fingers, and a giant, pink spider web appeared in between two trees before them.

"WHHOOOAAAAUUUGGH!" It was too late for the dragons; before they could skid to a stop, they crashed into the web and became as stuck as flies. They then started to struggle but ended up getting more stuck. Discord then turned to Spike who smiled with pride.

"Sweet, dude!" he cried, giving him a high five.

"Of course it is," Spike stated with a chuckle. "It's made of chewed up bubblegum." Garble gawked at him in reply.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THAT'S JUST WRONG!"

"I was wondering why it's pink," Bulldoze replied, turning to web with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh, as if the dirt on my tail isn't bad enough!" Daimundo groaned with disgust.

"You think _you _got it bad?!" Rad yelled. "I got in my HAIR!" The girls then went up to Discord and Spike with smiles.

"Nice work, Spike," Twilight said. "Once again, you came through for us."

"And both you and Discord have learned a lesson on empathy," Celestia's voiced added out of nowhere. Everyone looked up to see Princess Celestia appear before them in a flash of light and float gently to the ground Spike and Discord. The dragons gawked in awe.

"Who is that?" whispered Haze.

"This is Princess Celestia," Rarity answered. "The 'namby-pamby Pony Princess' whom Spikey-Wikey is pen pals with?"

"_That's _here?!" Smokes replied. "Dang…"

"She's a lot taller than we thought," Garble replied. The Ponies stared at him in silence.

"You thought she was _shorter_?" Spike replied with disbelief.

"Yeah," Garble replied. "We thought she was the same size as the other Ponies since she's a Pony too."

"I guess that makes sense," replied Fluttershy. Celestia simply turned to Discord and Spike.

"Congratulations, Spike and Discord," she said to them. "Each of you has learned what it's like to be in the other's current situation, and in the end you've learned how to show empathy to each other. For that, I have decided to bring you this earlier than anticipated." Her horn glowed gold, and out of her saddle pack floated a crystal ball that seems to have a large yin-yang trapped inside of it.

"The Opened Eye…" Twilight said in awe. Discord blinked in reply.

"Wait a second," he said to her. "I thought you said you couldn't get it to us until tomorrow morning."

"I had decided to come to your aid early," Celestia explained before turning to the dragons with a scolding glare, "especially when Twilight told me that these dragons kidnapped you." The dragons looked away with shame and embarrassment. "Besides…" She then went up to Discord and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. "I couldn't resist seeing you as Spike; you look so adorable."

"Told ya," Spike said to the blushing Discord as Twilight and the girls giggled in reply.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Discord groaned with a deep red blush. "I look cute!" Celestia just giggled in reply before holding the Opened Eye up to the two of them.

"To work the magic of the Opened Eye and return to normal," she said, " you must place your claws on the orb together and keep them there until the enchantment is complete." With a nod to each other, Discord and Spike each placed a claw on the orb.

The Opened Eye glowed brightly as did Discord and Spike's eyes. They then shot their gazes to the sky and opened their mouths before glowing smoke shot out of each of them. One is orange and shaped like Discord's head (from the dragon's mouth), and the other is lavender and shaped like Spike's head (from the Draconequus' mouth). The two smokes swirled around each other before entering the their proper bodies; the orange smoke in Discord's body, and the lavender smoke in Spike's body. The two of them and the orb stopped glowing, and Celestia took the orb as Spike and Discord looked themselves over with delight.

"Woo-hoo!" Spike cheered with delight, his own voice coming out of his proper mouth again. "I'm a dragon again!" Discord flapped his wings with a huge grin on his face.

"Man, do I miss flying again!" he said with a laugh, his own voice coming out of his proper mouth as well. The Ponies went up to them and hugged them with delight.

"It's so good to have you back to normal again," Twilight said to them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Garble cried. "You mean that guy really _did_ switch bodies with Spike?!" Discord then turned to the dragon with a glare.

"I _told _you, didn't I?" he growled.

"We're in serious trouble, aren't we?" asked Rad with a gulp.

"Oh, you guys are fine," Discord answered, "but your leader's not. After all, he _was _the one holding the feather." Garble's face paled with sweat when the Draconequus snapped his claws with an evil grin and red feathers appeared around him. "Payback time…"

"Wait!" Garble cried as the feathers got closer to him. "Can't we talk this over first?" His only answer was the feathers placing themselves against his armpits, sides, and stomach and moving about rapidly.

"PFAAHAHAHAHAHAH! NO! HAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP, I—DYAAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T STAND—GYAHAHAHAHAHA!" The red dragon burst into laughter as the feathers tickled him.

A minute later, Rainbow and Lionwing entered the scene like a pair of lovebirds before spotting the scene before them.

"Uhh…what did I just miss?" Rainbow then asked with confusion.


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch.9: Twist Ending**

Spike: _The two of us had our minds switched so I ended up as Discord._

Discord: _And I ended up as Spike. As a result, we each found out what it's like to be in the position of the other._

Spike: _I thought I had it worse than Discord did and vise versa. But after we literally switched places, we found out one has just as bad as the other._

Discord: _And because of that, we felt terrible for thinking about our own problems rather than our own. So the two us decided that even the least likely Pony can have problems as well._

Spike: _Maybe even worse. It's good have somepony show you some sympathy and empathy about your problems, but it's even better to give your empathy to somepony else._

Discord: _So instead of _arguing_ about our problems, we'll just listen to one another's problems and try to make them feel better the best way we can think of._

After Spike and Discord finished their journal entry, they closed the journal as Princess Celestia came into the library.

"I am so proud of you two," she said to them. "You each learned a valuable lesson of empathy together."

"Yeah," Spike said with a smile up at Discord. "I guess it's not easy being a Draconequus after all."

"And it's not exactly easy being a baby dragon," Discord agreed, ruffling up his spines like a lovable big brother. Spike laughed in reply before Celestia went up to Discord and nuzzled his cheek affectionately.

"At least you came through for each other," she purred as Discord's face started to turn red with surprise.

"Tia, not in front of Spike…" he hissed through clenched teeth. The white Alicorn simply giggled in reply.

"It's alright…let him watch." Spike snorted a snicker as Celestia slowly drew her lips closer to Discord, who's paralyzed with shock…

"AAAAUUUGGH!" They jumped with surprise at the sound of a scream outside the library and rushed out to see what's going on. Spike then turned to Twilight, who's covering her mouth with shock.

"What happened?" She turned to him sheepishly.

"I did it again…"

"Did what again?" asked the confused Discord. She pointed out to them, and they turned to see the other Ponies and the teenage dragons staring at Rad and Rainbow in shock.

"Oh…my…gosh!" Rad cried, only he's talking and acting just like Rainbow. "Twilight, _please _tell me I'm looking at a mirror!" Rainbow then looked herself over with surprise.

"Dude!" she cried, sounding and acting just like Rad. "I could've sworn I was a dude!" Garble and Bulldoze could help but snort and snicker before bursting into laughter.

"Oh, this is just wrong!" Rainbow said, looking over her new dragon body.

"How do you think I feel?!" Rad yelled at her. "One look at me, and your new gryphon boyfriend's gonna be all Pepe le Pew on my tail!"

"~Oh, Rainbow~" a voice sang that made Rad froze with fear. "Where are you, my little flirty filly?" Rad looked over his shoulder with a cry before shooting out, and Lionwing flew after him at top speed with a trail of bubbling pink hearts behind him.

"HEEEEELP! AAAAAUUUUUGGGHHH!" Discord and Spike just gawked with wide eyes before turning to Twilight flatly.

"Mind Switch?"

"Mind Switch," she answered flatly. Discord then turned to Spike.

"You wanna say it?" he asked with a smirk, which Spike returned. He then climbed onto the Draconequus' back.

"Here we go again," the little dragon said before letting out a held-in laugh. Discord then turned to Celestia.

"You think you can get that Opened Eye here, Tia?" he asked.

"Well, yes," she answered with a slight frown, "but—"

"Great! Be back in a flash!" He then shot out into the air to catch up with Rad and Lionwing.

"I was going to tell him that it need some time to recharge," Celestia groaned with a hoof on her brow. Twilight simply giggled in reply.


End file.
